Allah states in the Quran:
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives Zakat…”
— Surah Al-Baqarah: 177
Although both Zakat and Sadaqah are commonly referred to as “charity” but the nature and status of these two acts are entirely different. Zakat is an obligatory duty (Fard), while Sadaqah is a voluntary act (Nafl). This distinction must be understood clearly. One should not give Sadaqah and mistakenly consider it as Zakat.
Zakat means calculating one’s wealth once a year and distributing 2.5% (two and a half percent) of the assets prescribed by Shariah law to the eligible poor.
The Arabic word “Zakat” literally means “purification.” The impurities attached to one’s wealth can only be cleansed by paying Zakat. Furthermore, Zakat is only valid if there is “Tamleek.” Tamleek means that whatever is given as Zakat must be made the absolute property of the recipient.
- It is not permissible to use Zakat funds for constructing a mosque, its maintenance expences, or its administrative tasks.
Two Essential Conditions for Fulfilling Zakat
Zakat must be performed with the following two conditions:
- Making the Intention (Niyyah): One must set aside the Zakat amount from their wealth with the specific intention that “this is the Zakat due on my wealth.”
- Giving to Eligible Recipients: If Zakat is given without a proper intention, or if it is given to someone who is not eligible to receive it, the obligation of Zakat will not be fulfilled.
Bonuses Cannot Count as Zakat
Some business owners distribute the annual bonus to their employees from the Zakat fund and assume they have paid their Zakat. This does not count as Zakat. A bonus is an additional incentive given to make employees happy; a bonus can never be classified as Zakat.
- A specific intention (Niyyah) of Zakat is mandatory for it to be valid.
- Just as Prayer (Salah) and Fasting (Sawm) are obligatory, Zakat is also a strict obligation. Sadaqah is merely voluntary charity.
- Zakat distribution should ideally begin with poor relatives.
- Just as an intention is necessary for prayer, the person distributing Zakat must clearly state/intend that it is Zakat property while giving it.
- Zakat funds cannot be used for a mosque.
- The Zakat wealth must be handed over completely to the poor person as their own property, and no conditions should be imposed on them.
Some people pretend to give Zakat to the poor but make the recipient keep a small portion and take back the rest for the mosque or other non-Zakat causes. This practice is strictly forbidden in Islam.
Zakat laws must be learned correctly by consulting Islamic scholars (Ulama). Fulfilling it according to one’s whims will render the Zakat invalid.
Sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Companions
The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah says:
“O son of Adam! Spend (in charity), and I shall spend on you!”
Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (radiallahu anhu) stated:
“Allah has ordained a duty (Zakat) upon the wealthy from their wealth that is sufficient for the poor. If the poor suffer from hunger and lack of clothing, it is only because the wealthy among them have not fulfilled their duty completely. Listen carefully, Allah will question those wealthy people severely and punish them.”
Islam does not approve of economic resources being concentrated only in the hands of a few. The wealthy must recognize the right of the poor in their wealth and transfer its ownership to them in a dignified manner without any shortfall.
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Which charity brings the greatest reward?”
The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “The charity you give while you are healthy, inclined to be avaricious, fearing poverty, and hoping to be rich. Do not delay giving charity until the soul reaches the throat, and then you say, ‘This is for so-and-so, and that is for so-and-so,’ for by then, it has already become the property of others.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari
Warnings Against Not Paying Zakat
Allah warns severely in the Quran:
“…And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah – give them tidings of a painful punishment. The Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell and with it their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs will be branded, [and it will be said], ‘This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard.'”
— Surah At-Tawbah: 34, 35
From the verse above, it is clear that any wealth not spent in accordance with Allah’s command will become a source of severe punishment in the Hereafter.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Anyone whom Allah has given wealth but does not pay its Zakat, his wealth will come to him on the Day of Resurrection in the shape of a bald-headed poisonous snake with two black spots over its eyes. The snake will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, ‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure.’ Then the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the holy verses.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari
Aisha (radiallahu anha) narrates:
“Zakat (withheld) is never mixed with any wealth but destroys it.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) also warned against failing to pay Zakat properly:
“If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on it, when the Day of Resurrection comes, plates of fire will be beaten out for him. They will then be heated in the fire of Hell, and his sides, his forehead, and his back will be branded with them. Every time they cool down, the process will be repeated for him…”
— Sahih Muslim
Seek Charity Before Death
Allah states in the Quran:
“And spend [in charity] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.'”
— Surah Al-Munafiqun: 10
Zakat should preferably be fulfilled in the month of Ramadan, a month that multiplies rewards seventy-fold. The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous of people in distributing wealth, and when the month of Ramadan arrived, he used to give charity even more abundantly.
Hearts parched by poverty find prosperity through Zakat. It is only when the wealth of the rich is spent in the way of Allah that the poor also thrive.
